Dhanurasana
Reach back and catch both legs on the exhalation
Drawin in the legs on the inhalation
Relax on the exhalation
Repeat three to six times.

Ideally the feet knees, thighs will stay together although in the beginning it's acceptable if not preferable to allow them to to be a few inches apart.

Drishti (gaze) look straight ahead.

HINTS/TIPS/SUGGESTIONS

Engage Mula and uddiyana bandha, imagine there is a pea beneath you belly that you are trying not to squab by daring in your belly throughout.

Rather than lifting for the leg or pulling in there is a stretching through the whole body. Because the hand and foot are bound this stretch arches the back and lifts the chest and leg.

drop the shoulder blades down the back to allow the chest to lift more easily and to relax the neck.

In the asymmetric version, ground the whole trailing leg pressing into the mat from the hip to the toes

NB: These are practice notes that will be tidied up and put into the new edition of my Vinyasa Yoga Practice Book along with the current sequences and subroutines. The book can be freely downloaded HERE. There is a page on Facebook HERE with all the latest sheets and updates. This book is in no way a substitute for Ramaswami's Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga.

2 comments:

Thank you so much for these tips. The ashtanga practice has made my shoulders and back very stiff and am taking a break and getting back to back opening asanas. I read your blog everyday and I am so grateful for your generosity in sharing so much knowledge. I also find that whenever I am stuck in an asana inevitable, in the next few days you will post some tips about it. Amazing.It has happened with garbhapindasana (thank you so much for that), raja kapotasana and now dhanurasana. I guess we are somehow connected:)

A Reminder

from Kalama sutra, translation from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi This blog included.

"So, as I said, Kalamas: 'Don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, "This contemplative is our teacher." When you know for yourselves that, "These qualities are unskillful; these qualities are blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to harm & to suffering" — then you should abandon them.' Thus was it said. And in reference to this was it said.

"Now, Kalamas, don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, 'This contemplative is our teacher.' When you know for yourselves that, 'These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare & to happiness' — then you should enter & remain in them. Buddha - Kalama Sutta